Leukemia Ball Celebrates 26 Years of Success on Saturday, March 23, 2013

March 11, 2013 (Washington, DC) - More than 2,000 area business leaders are expected to gather at the 26th annual Leukemia Ball, presented by BIO in partnership with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, on Saturday, March 23rd, to raise money for innovative, life-saving cancer research and patient programs funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Dana Carvey and Jim Belushi & the Sacred Heart Band, bring their talents back to D.C. for the 2013 event - dubbed Saturday Night Blues.

Led by Sr. Co-chair James H. Davis, Ph.D., Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Human Genome Sciences, and co-chair Candy Duncan, Managing Partner at KPMG's Washington Metropolitan Area, the Executive Committee has been hard at work securing sponsorships and auction items, and selling Mercedes-Benz raffle tickets to ensure the event is a success.

The Ball, long known as Washington, D.C.'s largest single non-political black-tie gala, is expected to raise more than $3.1 million on behalf of LLS's National Capital Area Chapter.

"As a blood cancer survivor who benefitted from LLS-funded research, and as a member of LLS's National Scientific Advisory Committee, I know first-hand the importance of the critical work funded by LLS," said Davis. "We are at a crucial stage in the fight against cancer, and every dollar raised for the LLS mission brings us one step closer to cures."

Seventy-eight cents of every dollar spent by LLS funds their mission - to find a cure for blood cancer and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS's commitment to funding cutting-edge research projects has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates over recent years. For instance, the most common form of childhood leukemia now has a survival rate of more than 90-percent, up from just 3-percent in 1964.

The event will be emceed by some of D.C.'s most talented anchors - Anita Brikman of WUSA, Laura Evans of WTTG/Fox5, Angie Goff of NBC4, and Alison Starling of WJLA/ABC7-TV - and feature recognition of Titans of Business & Philanthropy awardees, The Laborers' Charitable Foundation and The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, and 2013 James L. Eichberg Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Tamara Darvish. Additionally guests will have the opportunity to Fund The Fight against blood cancer following a moving mission moment.

The silent auction, which raised $300,000 in 2012, is one of the area's largest, featuring a variety of travel packages, including American Airlines air travel to exotic locations. The event also boasts a Mercedes-Benz raffle featuring two brand new vehicles - the 2013 GL450 (SUV) (MSRP: 63,900) and the 2013 C250 Sedan ML350 SUV (MSRP: $35,350) - donated by local Mercedes-Benz dealers. Tickets are $100 and only 5,000 tickets are printed.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Lisa Iannarino at Lisa.Iannarino@lls.org. Media availability will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Chairman's Reception, and continue throughout the start of the program. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2013 Leukemia Ball are available at a variety of levels. For more information, please visit http://www.leukemiaball.org.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.